I drive down 43rd at least once a week and was shocked to see the house gone last Saturday.

I’ve lived in the ‘hood for close to 19 years and two of the four places I’ve lived have been torn down to build townhomes/condos during the big housing boom. (The first a house on 50th right behind the 50th St. Deli, the other a set of post-war brick triplexes on Wallingford Ave – which broke my heart.) I was hoping that with the new economy that it wouldn’t be happening anymore. Guessed wrong.

Does anyone know what is going to be built there?

public school mom

Just to ease all your worries Wallyhood… we’ll be building a new one family residence that will totally fit in with the hood. No townhouses or metal/glass modern homes here. A year from now when you drive by you probably won’t even be able to tell that it wasn’t always there.

In the meantime… thanks to all our awesome neighbors for their patience as construction takes place.

NancyM

Please take good care with that vintage Cedar tree to the south!

Kristin

Public School Mom,

Thanks for the entertainment! My son had a great time watching the excavator. Best of luck during the remodel. And, I have some short video clips of the event if you want them.

kerrizor

Sadly the definition of “fits in the neighborhood” and “single family home” encompass quite a range (I’m looking at you, giant monstrosity on Corliss and 41st!)

public school mom

Nancy M… that tree is two lots down from us. Not in our way at all, don’t fret. Kerrizor, I understand your skepticism… I hope we don’t dissapoint; although you can’t please everyone and we all have different tastes. I’d love to post a picture of our design but not sure how to do it (Wallyhood, help me out?) However, I’m sure that there will always be critics. Let’s just be sure to remember what our mothers said…”If you don’t have anything nice to say….”

@psm Drop me an e-mail at [email protected] with whatever you that you feel like sharing (photos, architect drawings, buried treasure maps). We’d love to write it up for the neighbors to enjoy.

kerrizor

@ PSM – *shrug* you’ve got the money, do what you want — I’ve just been in the neighborhood long enough to see far too many wonderful homes razed to be replaced by 3 story monstrosities with non-functional yards, porches too small for humans, too few windows (“hide inside our fortress!!”) to think that new construction is going to be at all attractive. Modern monied architecture is sorely lacking.

Eh, I’m a bitchy cynic about such things, who generally thinks most people today don’t have any sense of aesthetics. Don’t mind me. 🙂

Kristin

Cynics and skeptics are great for making sure we’re all doing our best. I’m asking you to remember to pass along your compliments once the house is done (assuming you like what you see).

kerrizor

@kristen – well of course! They’ll find a jar of jam (made from neighborhood fruit tress) on their doorstep 🙂

Margaret

@kerrizor — Wallyjam….I like it! Spread the love! 🙂

Janey

Wish they could have found some way to move that darling bungalow somewhere first (South Park?)! Otherwise, good luck with the remodel and know that most of us here welcome new neighbors!

I am the architect for the home and I appreciate all of your comments! It is great to see people so involved in their neighborhood. I do a lot of traditional style homes in some of the area’s older neighborhoods and we worked really hard to to design a home that feels appropriate in both scale and aesthetics. It is also important for me to note that we first looked at remodeling the existing house, but the costs were almost as much as the new home. Additionally, we took all of the materials back to the demolition contractor’s yard where they are being separated and recycled. When finished, the house may not be “your style” but it will certainly fit the scale of the neighborhood and hopefully everyone feels it is a positive addition!

Yes, Amy it is the same house that was featured in the article. Thanks for posting.

Joanne

Lived across the street from that house for 40 yrs. It was not a cute bungalow and the floor plan was atrocious….couldn’t even get to the basement from inside and the stairway going to the 2nd floor was horrendously steep! Would love to go thru the new one when it is done!

Kristin

Just a follow-up to those who were interested in the house that is going up to replace the one that was torn down. We live around the corner from it and have been watching the progress. It’s turned out to be quiet lovely and fits incredibly well in that spot, balancing the larger and smaller houses on either side. I’d suggest you take a look and pass out some compliments to the hard workers. I can’t wait to see what it will look like when it’s finished!

Kristin

Public School Mom,

Welcome back home! Did Kerrizor deliver that jam to you door, yet?

Wallyhood is dedicated to fostering community and communication in the Wallingford neighborhood. A group of volunteer editors rotate the responsibility of managing the site, and we welcome stories from all our neighbors.

This week’s editor is ​Jack McLaughlin. You can contact the editor-of-the-week at [email protected].

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